Lynn Oldach-Engle: The complaint department

Sunday

Mar 30, 2014 at 11:30 AM

Last month, waiting at the gate for a flight to Boston, a man arrived late and proceeded to push his way to the front of the waiting crowd. I looked at him and said, “Where does he think he’s going?” My husband whispered in my ear, “That’s so-and-so from the rock band so-and-so.” And I thought, “Yeah, so what? Does he think he’s better than the rest of us?"It got me thinking about all those among us who believe they are more entitled than everyone else.Although we are all special in our own little worlds, none of us is special enough to ignore the everyday rules that apply to all of us. And yet everyday, in our little town, we see ordinary citizens behaving as if they are extraordinarily entitled.How many times have you had to circumvent a car parked in the crosswalk in front of Starbucks? Apparently, the driver is in a caffeine frenzy and believes it's OK to block the crosswalk because, well, it’s for her.And isn’t double parking against the law? How many times are you held up on Main Street because some idiot is blocking traffic waiting for someone to come out of a store? The other day I saw four cars double parked in front of the middle school. Nobody could get around them. Too bad if we had to be somewhere… hey, they’re waiting for their kids to come out of school.Feeling special also applies to pedestrians, apparently. It seems that the need to look before walking across the street is now passé. Stepping off the curb while talking or texting on your cellphone is fine because everybody knows pedestrians have the right of way. Having the right of way, people, doesn’t prevent you from being hit by a car. And you know, if there are several cars backed up waiting for you, it’s OK to put a little hurry in your step. We don’t know you and we don’t think you’re that special.The world works a lot more smoothly when we all adhere to the rules. You may be talented, gifted, successful, or a celebrity, but if you’re still holding up the rest of us, we don’t give a damn who you are. So as a favor to your globe-sharing peers, move along. Wait your turn, do the posted speed limit, circle the block for a parking spot and do look before you cross the street. The line at the car wash is really long, and unlike some of you, I won't cut anyone off.Lynn Oldach-Engle lives in Winchester with her husband and two dogs. Write to her at engle.lynn@gmail.com.